The answer depends on the Country and the Period and even the type of unit. For example a Paratrooper platoon is smaller than an Infantry Platoon. For WW2 US infantry Division, the Platoon consisted of 3 Squads of 9 to 12 men per squad.
At full strength, around 45. There were four platoons to an infantry company, and the Table of Organization and Equipment (TO & E) changed, from 225 men to a company when the war started to 187 by the end. After the first contact with the enemy, no platoon was ever at full strength, unless and until it got some time out of the line to absorb replacements. Generally replacements (never enough to make good all losses) came up at night and were placed into a combat situation in the dark, among complete strangers. Not a fortunate lot for the replacements, many of whom themselves swiftly became casualties. An infantry platoon was usually commanded by a second or first lieutenant and had four squads. Each squad was led by a sergeant or staff sergeant. Three of the squads were rifle squads, of twelve men each, and the fourth squad was the "weapons" squad, which might be a few men smaler than a rife squad. The weapons squad had the two .30 caliber air-cooled machine guns of the platoon, and sometimes the bazookas (anti-tank rocket launchers), but at other times the bazookas might be distributed among the rifle squads. The weapons squad might also have 60 mm mortars. The three rife squads were divided into three four-man fire teams. This allowed the squad leader to use one or two teams to try to pin down the enemy and the other one or two to try to "flank" the enemy - to get around to the side or rear of the enemy position and "take them in the flank" with enfilading fire. Similarly, the platoon leader could do the same - he had three "maneuver squads" plus his weapons squad, and could use one or two squads to pin down the enemy and the other to maneuver around the enemy into a good firing position. This is called a "holding attack", and was the ONLY tactic taught to the thousands of junior officers the US had to train to command its small infantry units in the war. There was not time to try to teach officer candidates anything more fancy or complicated. The WWII army is sometimes said to have been "triangular", becuase this pattern of three maneuver units available persists all the way up the chain of command. A company had three rifle platoons, plus a weapons platoon. A battalion had three rifle companies, plus a weapons company. A regiment had three infantry battalion, plus artillery. A division had three regiments, plus more artillery. So as an officer was promoted, what he knew how to do would still apply.
In a British infantry battalion there are 3 rifle companies, 1 support company, 1 HQ company. Each rifle company is split into 3 platoons, and a HQ element. Each platoon is then split into 3 Sections of 8 men. Thee platoon is led by the platoon commander which is normally a 2nd lieutenant or lieutenant and a platoon sergeant. The sections are normally led by a corporal with a lance corporal as his second in command or 2 ic
During the Vietnam War, a US Army "Troop" was a US Cavalry "Company." Example(s): "A" Troop, "B" Troop, "C" Troop, etc. The Australian Army in Vietnam called their "Companies" a "Squadron", and called their "Platoons" a "Troop." (During the war) The US Army standard "Infantry" Platoon was approximately forty men. An "Armor" platoon (in Vietnam) consisted of 5 Patton tanks per platoon; with 20 tank crewmen per platoon...led by a 2nd or 1st Lieutenant.
several soldiers form a squad. several squads form a platoon. Several platoons form a company and several companies form a battalion.
The answer depends on the Country and the Period and even the type of unit. For example a Paratrooper platoon is smaller than an Infantry Platoon. For WW2 US infantry Division, the Platoon consisted of 3 Squads of 9 to 12 men per squad.
A platoon has about 25-35 troops (there isn't really a set number, that's how many you see the most). A platoon sgt. and a platoon CO. There can be 4-6 men in a squad and 2-3 squads in a section and then 3-4 sections in a platoon. Every squad has a squad leader. This is how it is in the Marines. Typically and ideally, there are 4 per fireteam, 3 fireteams per squad, 3 squads per platoon, add the platoon Sgt, Commander, and the Guide and 3 Squad Leaders and this comes to 42... and I am a Marine. Check your drill manual. - - - - - Never mind the Marines and their overstrength platoons. According to FM 7-8 (Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad), an infantry platoon in Infantry, Air Assault and Airborne divisions consists of: Platoon Headquarters: Platoon Leader (lieutenant) Platoon Sergeant (sergeant first class, usually, and this is aside from the sergeants who command a section, and each fire team of say 4 would be lead by a corporal. Platoon radioman (probably a specialist or a PFC) Three rifle squads consisting of nine men each--one squad leader (sergeant), two fire team leaders (corporals), two riflemen, two automatic riflemen and two grenadiers One weapons squad consisting of a squad leader (sergeant) plus two machinegunners, two assistant machinegunners, two antitank gunners and two assistant antitank gunners. Total number of troops: 39. A rifle platoon in a Ranger company contains 40 men--they drop the two antitank crews and replace them with three, three-man machinegun crews--gunner, assistant gunner and ammo bearer. Army infantry platoons used to be a lot larger--they had 11-man rifle squads with two riflemen, one automatic rifleman and one grenadier plus the fire team leader in each fire team. This changed when the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle came out--it won't hold an 11-man crew, so they had to change infantry doctrine to accommodate the equipment. Given that, there's not really such a thing as a "standard" platoon outside the combat arms. I've been in 50-soldier platoons. I've been in 15-soldier platoons. It all depends on what unit you're in and how it's structured.
A US Infantry Rifle Company contained 250 men in WW2. These were organized into 3 Rifle Platoons and 1 Weapons Platoon. A Rifle Platoon consited ot 3 Rifle Squads, each consisting of 10 men equipped with rifles, 1 with a 1903 Rifle(sniper) and 1 with a BAR machine gun. The Weapons Platoon consisted of 3 Mortar Squads and 2 Machine Gun squads.
A Canadian military platoon usually consists of three squads of eight people. The number may increase or decrease depending on the mission of the platoon.
It will depend on the structure of the unit, and the level of the Sgt. In a US Army Infantry company, a SGT E-5 (lowest SGT) typically is in charge of a Fire Team which is typically 3-5 soldiers. A Staff Sgt (E-6) is in charge of a Squad of 2 fire teams, and a Platoon Sgt (E-7) in charge of a Platoon of 3 Squads.
A platoon is a military unit comprised of 25-50 soldiers. They are organized into a company, which normally consists of 3-5 platoons. Platoons are made up of two to five sections or squads.
A troop was a unit of cavalry about equivalent to a infantry platoon. Numbers would be about 20 to 50.
At full strength, around 45. There were four platoons to an infantry company, and the Table of Organization and Equipment (TO & E) changed, from 225 men to a company when the war started to 187 by the end. After the first contact with the enemy, no platoon was ever at full strength, unless and until it got some time out of the line to absorb replacements. Generally replacements (never enough to make good all losses) came up at night and were placed into a combat situation in the dark, among complete strangers. Not a fortunate lot for the replacements, many of whom themselves swiftly became casualties. An infantry platoon was usually commanded by a second or first lieutenant and had four squads. Each squad was led by a sergeant or staff sergeant. Three of the squads were rifle squads, of twelve men each, and the fourth squad was the "weapons" squad, which might be a few men smaler than a rife squad. The weapons squad had the two .30 caliber air-cooled machine guns of the platoon, and sometimes the bazookas (anti-tank rocket launchers), but at other times the bazookas might be distributed among the rifle squads. The weapons squad might also have 60 mm mortars. The three rife squads were divided into three four-man fire teams. This allowed the squad leader to use one or two teams to try to pin down the enemy and the other one or two to try to "flank" the enemy - to get around to the side or rear of the enemy position and "take them in the flank" with enfilading fire. Similarly, the platoon leader could do the same - he had three "maneuver squads" plus his weapons squad, and could use one or two squads to pin down the enemy and the other to maneuver around the enemy into a good firing position. This is called a "holding attack", and was the ONLY tactic taught to the thousands of junior officers the US had to train to command its small infantry units in the war. There was not time to try to teach officer candidates anything more fancy or complicated. The WWII army is sometimes said to have been "triangular", becuase this pattern of three maneuver units available persists all the way up the chain of command. A company had three rifle platoons, plus a weapons platoon. A battalion had three rifle companies, plus a weapons company. A regiment had three infantry battalion, plus artillery. A division had three regiments, plus more artillery. So as an officer was promoted, what he knew how to do would still apply.
Yes.
A "troop" would normally indicate a single unit of a body of troops. However, the military use is as a subunit equivalent to a "platoon" consisting of two or more squads. A modern infantry platoon would typically be between 15 and 30 soldiers, and a squad between 8 and 12 soldiers.In World War 2, however, the basic rifle squad consisted of 12 men, and there were usually 3 squads per platoon, which with command personnel made a platoon (troop) 45 to 50 men, commanded by a commissioned officer.(With a squad leader and assistant squad leader, and two or more heavy weapons, such as the BAR and submachine gun, a squad would often split up and engage tactically in 6-man teams.)
An infantry company or platoon does not have stategic principles: It is a tactical formation. Surely it must be simply kill more of the enemy than the ememy kills of you..............
Depends on how big the group is, I will start with smallest. Squad, Platoon, Company, Battalion, regiment, division The smallest group is called a fire team which is 4 or 5 soldiers, a normal squad is about 10 soldiers, a platoon is usually 4 squads plus a platoon leader and a platoon sgt, a company usually is made up of at least 4 platoons plus a company commander and a 1st sgt, a battalion is at least three companys. The number of soldiers also mya change upon their primary use, weapons, infantry, MP and such.